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Thursday, April 29, 2010

Fry Bread - School Project

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...It's not much of a recipe, but it comes with a fascinating history that curious minds and my older grandsons might find interesting. Fry bread is the politically correct name that has been given to what was once called squaw bread. For my friends in Asia, Africa and Europe, and others not schooled in American history, the word squaw was once used to describe native American women in an insulting and derogatory way. Native tribes across the United States have been working for decades to remove this, and other demeaning words used to describe their people, from the English lexicon. They are slowly making progress. The bread that carried that offending name was not part of their diet until the tribes were forcibly removed from their ancestral lands and placed on reservations. The Navajo call this period of their history the "Long Walk", while the Cherokee, also subject to the forced march, referred to it as the "Trail of Tears". To supplement meager food stores and prevent starvation, they were given allotments of white flour, baking powder, salt and lard by the army. They used it to fashion a simple skillet bread that became a staple of their diets while they were kept on the reservations. While no longer commonplace, it is still served at tribal feasts and gatherings and some believe that eating the bread is a sacred tradition that must be continued until the earth is again purified. Bob and I first had fry bread at a ceremony called a Tsalila that is held on the Oregon coast. The bread is traditionally made with lard and its texture depends on how it is fried. When deep fried it is fluffy and has a texture similar to Yorkshire pudding or popovers. When shallow fried, it is crisp and has a decided cracker-like crunch when bitten. This bread, like all fried doughs, is best eaten straight from the fryer. The dough can, however, be made ahead of time and be stored in the refrigerator for a day or so before cooking. The finished bread can be split and filled with meat or other fillings, but most prefer it spread with jam or sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. It is very easy to make and would be wonderful for a school project. Here's the recipe.Fry Bread...from the kitchen of One Perfect BiteIngredients:2 cups all-purpose flour1 tablespoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon salt1-1/2 tablespoons lard, melted (butter may be substituted)1/2 cup warm water1/4 cup room temperature milk4 cups oil for deep fryingDirections:1) Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.2) Combine water, milk and lard or butter in a large measuring cup.3) Slowly add liquids to flour and mix just until dough forms a ball. Knead in the bowl, about 10 times, to form a smooth ball that is not sticky. A small amount of flour may be added if needed. Cover dough with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let sit for 30 minutes.4) Heat oil in a deep fryer or a high-sided pan. If using an electric pan set thermostat to 350 degrees F.5) Divided dough into 8 approximately equal pieces. Pat on a floured board or with floured hands to form circles about 5 to 6-inches in diameter. Place dough, a piece at a time, into hot oil and cook for 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. Repeat until all dough is used. Yield: 8 pieces.

My Mom used to make something similar to this or maybe it's the same thing. I remember her setting up the deep fryer on the kitchen table and laying out the hot bread to cool. As soon as it cooled enough for us to handle we ate our fill!

Yum Mary- for some reason when I was growing up in Texas we had a neighbor who made this, and my mom learned how. Seems like she might have been from NM, and it made since.

WOnderful information for us here!

Some friends and I went out to dinner the other night, and we were all so famished that one of the guys said to the waitress, do you have anything that can come out quick, then they brought bread sticks and you could instantly tell it was fried, but it was good, oh the calories :)

Mary, this is fascinating. And from the comments it seems various cultures havve their own versions. It's much like the Italian "fried dough" which was a Peasant" dish, but has evolved in America into a well-loved dessert!xoxo Pattie

My favorite sandwich from the Cheesecake Factory is made on fry bread...and it really is the bread and not the stuffing that makes the sandwich so fantastic! Thanks for sharing this recipe and all of the history attached to it!

Fascinating history of fry bread, Mary. I was brought up in a little town in Michigan right across the river from Canada. The little Canadian town there was comprised mainly of Native Americans so I basically was brought up with them. My mother made fry bread for years...sometimes she would sprinkle confectioners sugar on it.Lovely post!

Good morning, Mary. I think many cultures have something similar - in Ottawa during winter carnival we have Beaver Tails - fry bread really.When I was a child my mother made this as a treat every once in a while. I come from Nova Scotia, which has a rich history of trade with the West Indies - rum and molasses - so we always dipped our fry bread in molasses. Thanks for bringing back memories!

Thank you Mary,not only for the recipe, but for raising awareness of the plight of Native Americans. We in the East, because we don't live near Indian tribes or see any poor Indians may forget that our country has had a shameful history with the Native people of the Americas, one that still impacts their lives to this day.

My first time trying fry bread was in Tempe, Arizona at the Tempe Street Fair. It was delicious and you could get it with beans, cheese and lettuce on it or honey with powdered sugar. I of course, picked the honey and sugar one! Thanks for the lesson on where it came from. Denise@cottagesisters

What a great background lesson on fry bread, Mary. There is a yearly pow-wow here in NY where they make frybread 'tacos' using ground buffalo meat. I never made my own. They look delicious and their so versatile!

Most people dont even realize how Indians have suffered, even aside from Trail of Tears. Its a travesty. Did you see what Stephen Hawkings said about not wanting aliens to arrive because most likely they will do to us what we did to the Indians? There was quite a buzz about it. It was on Yahoo.

I am in bread heaven right now. I'll go for a savory filling please. This is such a wonderful and easy way to make a pocket for filling with anything you want for a sandwich. Now I don't have to pay 3 dollars for pita bread or flat bread. You are such an inspiration. Thank you again, as always.

I once lived close to an Indian Reservation in Arizona. On Saturdays we'd walk to the tribal offices where they had a snack bar and chow down on Fry Bread. My favorite way to eat it is with beans and cheese. We'd make them at home as teens and just used self-rising flour with a little water. Impatient we were!

I once spent two weeks on a Lakota Sioux reservation with my church youth group. Five of us were working on a house that had been damaged by a storm. The family of nine that lived there was impoverished, but every day when we showed up to work the mother would have hot fry bread waiting for us. It was so sweet. At the end of the week we all signed T-shirts for each other, and she wrote on mine, "Fry bread buttz drive men nutz!" I treasure that T-shirt to this day. :]

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